Book 3: Chapter 29: The Hunter

After returning to the Summoning Space, the weird changes on Black Bear BEN finally stopped. However, QiLun discovered his own Energy Points were slowly draining instead.

“Calculating the rate of energy drain, the Silvermycin and Self-Healing Crystal I carry can only last about 32 hours. Even with World Tree Dew added, I probably can barely hold on for three days.” After a quick mental calculation of his medicines, Qin Lun frowned slightly.

Silvermycin was one thing, but the Self-Healing Crystal was expensive. World Tree Dew was a special treasure of the Elven Race. Using them just to replenish energy points felt like a huge waste.

“Unless absolutely necessary, I must return to Shattered Starry Sky by tomorrow night!” Qin Lun sighed and set a 32-hour countdown in his Death Notice.

He glanced at the Death Notice. The description under the summoned creature section had turned into “Rotten Black Bear BEN.”

“Good thing I didn’t use it on myself!” Qin Lun grinned crookedly. This Gene Potion was extremely powerful; it worked on summoned creatures, essentially meaning it could alter the body’s fundamental laws.

Clearly, it would affect his own Law Body too. Judging by Black Bear BEN’s changes, while the potion could enhance physical attributes in the short term, the side effects were severe. It caused loss of self-control and could lead to the collapse of the Law Body.

Qin Lun, however, had no intention of abandoning Black Bear BEN. It wasn’t because he felt attached to this particular summon, but he didn’t want to lose this research specimen.

He had anticipated this Gene Potion would have major flaws and held no unrealistic hopes. His plan was merely to use the summoned creature to smuggle the potion out of the Phantom Demon World. Once back in Shattered Starry Sky, he would conduct further research.

Even the lowest-grade Bloodline Items in the Shattered Starry Sky exchange list were expensive, costing tens of thousands of Shattered Crystal at minimum, often bundled with a Bronze-tier quest evaluation card. Considering all he’d invested was a single low-level summon and healing items worth a few thousand Shattered Crystal, getting a semi-finished Bloodline Item product was hardly a loss!

Regardless of whether Qin Lun could ultimately obtain the finished Bloodline Item, even if he could only extract a semi-finished product from the bear’s body, he could easily sell it for twenty to thirty thousand Shattered Crystal.

Honestly, if Qin Lun hadn’t needed the bear to scout the other end of the transport lift, and if he hadn’t lacked the virtual currency to resurrect it, he could have delayed this experiment until his return. This highlighted the difference between smart people and ordinary folks. Matthew and the others couldn’t grasp this circuitous thinking; they failed to see the potion’s potential value.

Though they were Veterans, the fact that they were placed with novices indicated their abilities were limited too. A Gene Potion was definitely not something to discard casually. Besides, they might have found more than one vial in that room.

They didn’t have summons, true, but they could have taken a risk and traded with other Reincarnators. With a little more ruthlessness, they could have even used it on themselves when returning. Even if they failed to gain a Bloodline Item, they could have simply paid the cost to purge the Gene Potion from their bodies later.

They wouldn’t even gamble on a deal where the potential rewards far outweighed the risks. People like them would likely stagnate in power and eventually die in a Quest World.

While these thoughts rapidly flashed through Qin Lun’s mind, he kept moving forward along the runestone passageway. Without Black Bear BEN to scout ahead, his progress was painfully slow. He cautiously advanced only a few steps at a time, constantly scanning for possible traps or mechanisms.

The crawling pace annoyed Qin Lun, filling him with a sense of helplessness. He didn’t like this kind of ruin exploration style adventure. This approach either required immense personal strength to disregard traps entirely, or demanded extensive archaeology knowledge and rich field experience. High intelligence could only play a supporting role here.

Creeping slowly to the end of the passage, Qin Lun found himself facing a large, split-level chamber. The chamber was supported by eight massive stone pillars carved with bizarre and ferocious beast-like figures. Some of these creatures even vaguely resembled the large Phantom Demons seen in Paris. If they weren’t supporting the ceiling, they might have looked more like totem poles.

Dominating the lower floor was a huge stone door, easily three men tall. The door’s center featured a circular relief carving depicting a lion and tiger locked in combat. The upper level above was a simple, railing-free walkway – it looked like a ring of stone slabs projecting directly from the wall.

This ring-shaped walkway had gaps, likely caused by collapses. The breakage patterns suggested they weren’t recent. A stone door, much smaller than the one below, stood midway down the right-side corridor, and it was slightly ajar.

Qin Lun stood on one of these projecting stone slabs. He had two choices: enter the half-open stone door on the second-level corridor, or jump down to the main floor and try to open the massive stone door bearing the lion-tiger relief.

Qin Lun didn’t hesitate at all. He immediately headed towards the half-open door.

Judging by the scene before him, the large door downstairs probably led to a more important area. However, he had no idea if the ground level contained traps, and whether he could even open that massive door was highly questionable. The smaller door above was already open halfway, at least offering a glimpse inside first.

Carefully, Qin Lun peered into the half-open door from various angles. Only after a long while did he finally step through the entrance.

Inside was a short corridor ending at two identical stone doors. On either side of these doors were narrow passages hugging the stone wall. Between them lay a massive pit, about ten meters deep and five meters wide. The overall layout resembled a flat “口” shape. Dead center within this “mouth,” stood a platform no bigger than a chessboard, likely meant as a stepping stone.

Judging by the grooves slightly lower down around the “chessboard platform,” stone slabs must have once connected it to the sides, forming a small bridge over this chasm.

Qin Lun leaned over to peer into the pit. The bottom was littered with bones. Combined with the dense array of small holes dotting the pit walls, this immediately conjured thoughts of nasty traps—arrows, poisonous sprays, and the like.

“Are you quite done staring? Cough!” A voice tinged with irritation suddenly sounded beside Qin Lun.

Qin Lun glanced coolly to the side. Yoshida Junko was slumped against the stone doorway near him. He’d seen the Japanese girl there just moments before from outside.

Meeting Qin Lun’s calm gaze, a complex expression flickered across Junko’s face. She had recognized the young man. As the only magic-inclined Reincarnator in her small team, her memory was sharp. Besides, they hadn’t gone their separate ways for more than two days yet; forgetting Qin Lun completely was unlikely.

Qin Lun rubbed his chin. Without another word, he pulled out his only Healing Bandage, clutching it in his hand while fixing Junko with an intense stare. Her injuries were obvious. She clutched her abdomen, blood steadily seeping through her fingers. It stained the ground beneath her in a widening crimson pool.

Clearly, the wound on her abdomen was large—possibly even a full gut slash—an external injury that law bodies struggled to heal naturally. Her face, pale as snow, suggested she’d already burned through recovery items just to hold on this long.

“You and your teammates… none of you carry wound ointment?” Qin Lun asked, genuinely curious this time.

“…Ran out,” Junko admitted after a tense silence, visibly awkward. “We fought hard fights before entering this base! No one anticipated the Main Quest would mutate into this.”

Qin Lun’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. This statement revealed more than intended. It seemed the three Veterans encountered a change in the Main Plotline upon entering this Phantom Demon facility, forcing them into risky, high-difficulty tasks.

“Cough… Since you’re clearly a fellow Veteran,” Junko glanced at him with reproach, “why didn’t you just say so outright? Fine. Out with it. How many Credit Points for that bandage?”

“Two conditions,” Qin Lun smiled slightly, laying out his demands. “First, display the equipment you’re carrying and let me pick one item. Second, show me your current quest list.”

“Equipment?! Impossible!” Junko’s pale cheeks flushed with angry indignation. “That bandage is worth maybe 3000 Credit Points at most! Doubling the price wouldn’t match even the cheapest gear I own! This is outrageous extortion! I’ll tough it out a bit longer. Once Matthew and Jote finish the quest, I can return directly!”

“Given your current state,” Qin Lun replied with an odd little smile, “I doubt you’ll last until they finish. True, judged by Credit Points, my bandage isn’t worth a piece of your equipment. But your life? That’s worth a lot more than one item. Your choice. I won’t force you.”

“You…” Conflicting emotions warred on Junko’s face. Suddenly, her pupils constricted as a terrifying thought struck her. “Why do you want to see my quest list? Could it be that your quest… Are you a Hunter too?”

Panic spread across the Japanese girl’s face as she stared at Qin Lun with growing fear.

Hunter? Qin Lun subtly frowned, his mind racing as he cautiously probed, “Whether I’m a Hunter or not isn’t the point. Since I’m currently in the same team frame as you, killing you now wouldn’t be feasible.”

“I don’t believe you!” Junko fixed him with an intense, unwavering stare, searching for any slip in his expression. “Unless you sign a transaction contract with me! Guarantee you won’t kill me after this trade!”

Qin Lun rubbed his temples. The Japanese girl wasn’t nearly as easy to trick as the newbies. As an Apostle, signing any contract with a Reincarnator was impossible; it would instantly expose his identity.

“As a Hunter, I cannot sign a life-protection contract with prey,” Qin Lun replied, his gaze shifting slightly as he wove his lies carefully within the boundaries of existing intel. “I also cannot hunt prey within my own team frame. If I meant to kill you, I’d have done it already. Why waste a Healing Bandage? Remember, killing you also nets me a Bloody Cube.”

Junko’s expression gradually calmed. Her gaze flicked between Qin Lun and the Healing Bandage he held, a frown of indecision deepening as she remained silent.

“Hurry your decision,” Qin Lun urged, seeing acceptance settle in her eyes. A certainty rose within him. “I can’t waste much more time here with you.”

“Alright! I accept!” Junko gritted her teeth, reluctance clear. “But giving you any one piece of equipment hurts my combat power… severely.” She hesitated, then displayed an alternative item. “I’ll trade you this. But… you’ll have to add something extra. Otherwise, I might as well just… wait here to die.”